Midnight in the Moonlit Ruins

Review and Interview for Voracious!

2009-10-25T16:51:00.000-07:00

I'm excited to report that a fantastic review of Voracious is up on Mostly Fiction!

I also have an interview with the reviewer, science fiction writer Ann Wilkes.

Spooky Empire's Ultimate Horror Weekend!

2009-10-19T22:28:00.000-07:00

I just returned from Orlando, where I was an author guest at Spooky Empire's Ultimate Horror Weekend. With media guests, authors and artists, the convention was full of horror goodness. Owl Goingback did an amazing job organizing the author side of the event, with signings and panels.

On Friday I moderated the Evolution of the Vampire panel with fellow authors Jeff Strand, Lynne Hansen, and Vince Courtney. We discussed early works such as Varney the Vampire and Stoker's Dracula and how they compare to vampires in current books and films like Twilight, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and 30 Days of Night. Vince regaled the audience with hilarious stories about how being a vampire cop might be a disadvantage when one is confronted with an upturned truck full of garlic pizzas.

After that I signed some books, and the vampire panelists rejoined for dinner, talking of writing, stories, and monsters.

Mike Brotherton, Jason Patnode, Alice Henderson, Owl Goingback, Nancy Goingback

On Saturday I was on the Women in Horror panel, and discussed the work of women writers and directors in the horror genre. I signed more books afterward. I met actor Chris Sarandon and we talked briefly about vampires and their association with religious iconography, and how that figured into his film Fright Night.

Later that day I met actor and writer William Forsythe, whose work I very much enjoy. He's got a dynamic range of portraying really dastardly villains and heroic good guys. He was incredibly nice.

Afterward, my third panel, Regional Horror, went very well. Fellow panelists included author and astronomer Mike Brotherton, Owl Goingback and Vince Courtney. We discussed researching specific settings for novels and how to be true to a region while still creating your own story set there. Owl talked about mysterious legends of Florida. I talked about setting my novel Voracious in Glacier National Park.

On the Regional Horror panel -- Mike Brotherton, Alice Henderson, Owl Goingback

Saturday night was another fantastic dinner with writers. Mike Brotherton and Owl Goingback and I discussed cryptozoology and tales of creature sightings.

On the last day of the con I met John Landis (director of one of my favorite films, American Werewolf in London), who was very kind.

John Landis and Alice Henderson
(photo by Owl Goingback)

I also met Ricou Browning (The Creature From The Black Lagoon), which was fantastic.

Next I was on a panel I'd been looking forward to all weekend -- The Cryptid Panel, with Mike Brotherton, Owl Goingback, and Scott Marlowe, a cryptozoologist and skunk ape expert. I talked about my master's thesis research into sightings of Bigfoot, lake monsters and El Chupacabra. Owl Goingback told stories of mysterious tall people found buried in Florida. Mike talked of hearing eerie cries in the darkness while searching for Bigfoot. Scott Marlowe thrilled us with tales of skunk ape sightings. The audience asked great questions and we just had a blast talking about one of our favorite subjects -- creatures!

My last panel of the con was Choosing Your Monsters. Fellow panelists included writers Mary SanGiovanni and Jeff Strand, who were a delight to chat with. We talked about how we pick monsters for our novels. Vampires, zombies, succubi, werewolves and more made appearances in our talk. The audience was very participatory, asking some great questions. Even more obscure creatures from mythology got touched on. It was a very well attended panel, especially for being late in the day on the last day of the con.

I was delighted to be a part of the programming at the con and to meet so many fellow people in the industry. Thanks to all who attended!

Devil's Postpile National Monument

2009-09-17T17:51:00.001-07:00

I camped in the Inyo National Forest near Devil's Postpile National Monument. The view as I descended down toward the Postpile area was absolutely stunning. The jagged Minaret peaks jutted above snowfields and granite worn smooth by glaciers.

It got incredibly cold one night, with hail falling in the morning, covering the ground. This cold front drove the mosquitoes to lower elevations. Clouds hung over the mountains. I hiked to the Postpile itself, a stunning example of columnar cracking that occurs when molten rock cools at an even rate. Devil's Tower (that striking tower featured in Close Encounters of the Third Kind) is another example of this kind of formation.

One really amazing aspect of Devil's Postpile is that the top was carved off by a glacier. I hiked up there, where the hexagonal tops of the columns had been worn smooth by ice.

Pikas at Long Lake

2009-08-26T17:13:00.000-07:00

Long Lake in the John Muir Wilderness was particularly stunning. The deep blue water sparkled in the sunlight as beams broke through from the clouds.
I was delighted and relieved to see pikas leaping around on the rocks, gathering grass. They dry it in little haystacks and use it for food when the deep snows of winter blanket their rock piles. These little relatives of the rabbit are currently in danger of extinction due to global warming. They live above 10,000 feet in the John Muir Wilderness and other montane locations. But as the earth heats up, the pikas must move higher up the mountainsides. Soon there will be no higher place to go.

The John Muir Wilderness

2009-08-24T01:27:00.001-07:00

After the Alabama Hills, I hiked into the John Muir Wilderness. It's a gorgeous place full of alpine lakes, wildflowers, and rushing streams, all set against the stunning backdrop of snowy, jagged peaks. The trailhead is the highest in the Sierra, starting at 10,300 feet.

I hiked alongside sapphire mountain lakes and lush, emerald meadows.

Lakes abound in this granite region, green and blue jewels amid the snowy scenery.

Storm clouds gathered over the peaks, the clouds moving quickly in the high altitude winds. It's a place I've wanted to travel into for a long time, and I was delighted to be there! It's powerful to journey through a road-less area where wildlife roams -- bears, deer, pikas, cougars, even wolverines still live in this remote area. Recent additions to the John Muir Wilderness moved the current wilderness boundary down from the crest of the mountains to the top of the alluvial fan. This change protects the lower elevation habitat and the streams that flow into the valley below.

The Alabama Hills

2009-08-21T15:30:00.000-07:00

I just visited The Alabama Hills at the base of Mount Whitney in the Sierra Nevada Mountains in California. The hot, high desert wind blew across this magical landscape where many westerns and other films have been shot.
Movies such as Iron Man, Maverick, The Postman, Gladiator, The Shadow, Star Trek V and VII, and one of my favorites, Tremors, have been filmed in this setting of knobby, whimsical granite against the backdrop of the jagged eastern Sierra.
A storm roiled above Mt. Whitney, the tallest peak in the lower 48 states. Rain and wind swept down the steep mountains to the Alabama Hills, creating an incredible cloudscape of color.

Comic-Con 2009

2009-08-13T11:47:00.001-07:00

I had a fantastic time at Comic-Con this year, the massive comics/books/movies convention in San Diego. My panel, "Monster Mash," went really well. My fellow panelists were all writers who, like me, use fantastical creatures in their work. We had a great audience who asked some insightful questions about the monsters we use in our fiction. Fellow panelists included Rob Thurman, Amber Benson, Walter Greatshell, S.G. Browne, and Marlene Perez. Our moderator was the wonderful Maryelizabeth Hart of Mysterious Galaxy Books.

From left: Maryelizabeth Hart, Alice Henderson, Rob Thurman

From left: Maryelizabeth Hart, Alice Henderson, Rob Thurman, Amber Benson,

Walter Greatshell, Marlene Perez, and S.G. Browne

Afterward, we signed our books, and I was delighted to sign the hardback version of my novel Voracious! It was the first time I'd seen the hardback in person.

While at the con, I also got to step through the Stargate!

I caught up with a lot of fellow writers and met some wonderful people for the first time, including Gil Gerard, Erin Gray, Robert Englund (whose autobiographical Hollywood Monster comes out in October), and Andy Runton, the creator of Owly.

Comic-Con Appearance!

2009-07-16T18:07:00.001-07:00

I am delighted to report that I'll be on the Monster Mash panel at the San Diego Comic-Con next week.

Fellow panelists include Amber Benson (author of Death's Daughter); Walter Greatshell (author of Xombies: Apocalypse Blues); S.G. Browne (author of Breathers: A Zombie's Lament); Marlene Perez (author of Dead Is So Last Year); Rob Thurman (author of The Cal Leandros novels); and Samantha Sommersby (author of Forbidden: The Temptation). Our moderator will be Maryelizabeth Hart, of Mysterious Galaxy Books.

An autographing session will immediately follow the panel.

Here are the times/places:

The Panel:
Saturday, July 25th
3-4 pm
Room 2

Autographing Session:
Saturday, July 25th
4-5 pm
AA1

I'm greatly looking forward to it!

Stoker Awards Weekend 2009

2009-07-12T00:25:00.000-07:00

The Stoker Awards Weekend was the best that I've ever seen this year. Organizers Lisa Morton and John Little arranged for so many extra events that it made the weekend incredible. They had workshops, kaffeeklatches, and great panels.

The night before the Stokers began, I signed books at the incredible horror bookstore Dark Delicacies in Burbank. On Friday I attended HWA President Deborah LeBlanc's workshop on book promotion, which was incredibly helpful.

The Slush Pile Players performed Friday night at the Gory Ghoul Ball. Made up of horror writers, the band featured Heather Graham, Dave Simms, Alexandra Sokoloff, Nathan Walpow, Harley Jane Kozak, Tracy Carbone, Rhodi Hawk, Shayne Pozzessere and Juan Roca.

On Saturday I was on a panel about "Breaking Into The Mass Market," with fellow writers Hank Schwaeble, John Skipp, and Cody Goodfellow, and editor David Hartwell.

John Skipp, David Hartwell, Cody Goodfellow, Alice Henderson, Hank Schwaeble

Saturday night was the Stoker Awards event, a posh banquet followed by the announcements of the awards. Many amazing writers won for their work. Afterward we all gathered and talked. It was fantastic to catch up with my fellow writers.

Alice Henderson and Lucy Snyder

Alice Henderson, Lynne Hansen, Jeff Strand

Screenwriter Courtney Joyner and Alice Henderson

Dark Scribe Interview

2009-07-02T18:08:00.001-07:00

I'm thrilled to appear in the latest issue of Dark Scribe Magazine, in an interview by Vince A. Liaguno. We talk about adventure in the outdoors and the roots of my fascination with mythology and folklore!

Check it out here.

Join Me At The Creature Features Event This Saturday, June 27th!

2009-06-24T15:15:00.000-07:00

This Saturday, June 27th, I'm going to be at an awesome Creature Features event at the Comic Book Box in Rohnert Park.

Joining me will be Tom Wyrsch, the producer of Watch Horror Films, Keep America Strong. Tom will be showing classic interviews by Bob Wilkins and John Stanley. Science fiction author Ann Wilkes will also be in attendance!

Come by and see us!

I'll start signing at 11:30 am, and the Creature Features section begins at 1 pm and goes until 4 pm at the Comic Book Box, 1451 Southwest Blvd #103, Rohnert Park, CA.

Upcoming Appearance at the Bram Stoker Awards!

2009-06-08T19:42:00.000-07:00

I'm pleased to announce I'll be attending the Bram Stoker Awards this weekend. I'll be signing at Dark Delicacies in Burbank on Thursday night, June 11, at 7 pm, along with Richard Christian Matheson, Mick Garris, Chelsea Quinn Yabro, Lisa Morton, Lucy Snyder, Gary Braunbeck, and many others!

On Saturday at 11 a.m., I'll be on a panel on Breaking Into The Mass Market.

The Stokers look like they are going to be amazing this year, and I'm excited and honored to be part of the programming.

Museum of Waxwings

2009-05-16T18:47:00.000-07:00

As late spring arrives, so do a whole new set of birds! I've always loved the names given to groups of animals, such as an "obstinacy of bison."

Here are my recent visitors:

a museum of cedar waxwings

a ubiquity of juncos

a teapot of towhees

a development of house finches

a banditry of chickadees

a worm of robins

Mysterious Galaxy Birthday Bash

2009-05-13T19:05:00.000-07:00

The celebration of the 16th birthday of Mysterious Galaxy Books went incredibly well! It was my first visit to this amazing store, and the staff did a great job with the entire event.

Fellow writer Jeff Mariotte and I gave an author talk and had a great audience with some excellent questions. Afterward we signed many copies of our books.

Thank you to all who attended!

Upcoming Appearance at Mysterious Galaxy!

2009-04-27T06:50:00.001-07:00

I'm very excited to report that I'll be talking/signing at the upcoming sixteenth anniversary celebration at Mysterious Galaxy in San Diego on Saturday, May 9th.

The all day celebration will include authors, special bargains and even cake!

I will be there to sign copies of my new novel Voracious. Other authors include Jeff Mariotte, who will be signing his new novel Cold Black Hearts, Jim Butcher, Kage Baker, Shannon Butcher, Samantha Sommersby, PJ Haarsma, and Kris Saknussemm.

Jeff Mariotte and I will be giving a talk at noon.

Come down and celebrate at the store!

Click here for more info on the birthday bash itself, and here for more information on Jeff's and my time slot.

Horror World Review!

2009-04-16T16:21:00.001-07:00

My novel Voracious just received an amazing review on Horror World, written by Dave Simms.

Check it out here! (The review is partway down the page.)

Bear at the Merced River

2009-04-09T04:36:00.000-07:00

While in Yosemite, I hiked along the valley floor, something I've never done before in the park. It can get quite crowded in the summer months, and so, finding myself a mid-week visitor in the spring, I decided to hike the Yosemite Valley Trail.
Along the way I hiked past the famous Camp 4, home to rock climbers who gather to scale the highest freestanding cliff in the world -- El Capitan. I saw deer grouse and acorn woodpeckers. On the banks of the Merced River I stopped to eat a sandwich, and as I sat out on a boulder, a cinnamon-colored black bear emerged from the tree line and approached the shore on the opposite bank. He lifted his nose, spotting me across the river. We watched each other for a time and then he backtracked a little, dove into the water and swam across the river to my side, a bit farther up the trail. He meandered away, moving up to a boulder field. It was my first bear sighting of the year!

Snowshoeing The Glacier Point Road

2009-04-07T16:41:00.001-07:00

I snowshoed out Glacier Point Road, which is closed in Yosemite every winter to vehicle travel. But you can still snowshoe and ski its 10.5 mile stretch out to the stunning view of Half Dome and Yosemite Valley below.
On the way back, I stopped at the stunning Tunnel View of the valley below. El Cap had a cap of its own, a shelf of clouds hanging over the summit.

Snowshoes on the Mountain Meadow

2009-04-05T01:27:00.000-07:00

Despite the ice spiders, I snowshoed around the glorious meadow, with meandering streams and the blue, blue sky above the white snow. It was a gorgeous day, quite warm, and a pileated woodpecker even appeared! I could hear it drumming deeper in the forest later on.
Before long, however, storm clouds moved in quickly, the sky turning grey with billowing clouds. The cloud layer sank lower, becoming a dreamy haze in the upper tree-covered slopes.

Ice Spiders

2009-04-01T14:11:00.000-07:00

Not long ago, I watched the scintillating cinematic feature Ice Spiders for the horror movie guide I'm writing. Helmed by one of my favorite directors, Tibor Takacs, this film terrified the viewer with a cautionary tale of experimental spiders gone wrong in the snowy forests near a ski lodge. After seeing the film, I brushed it off as a work of fiction. Hah! How naive I am. While snowshoeing near Crane Flat, I came across dozens of ice spiders, crawling across the snowy surface in search of prey. Okay, so maybe they were only a centimeter long instead of eight feet, but still...they were ice spiders!
Also in residence on the snowy meadow that day were predatory leeches. Streams ran through the meadow and on an unusually warm day, the leeches were out, hunting for prey in the icy expanse of the flat. How ever did I survive this hike, you ask? By being prepared by the fine film of Tibor Takacs, and knowing not to get worried until next winter, after the spiders and leeches have been experimented on by a team of mad scientists.

Firefall

2009-03-28T16:24:00.001-07:00

For decades until 1968, visitors to Yosemite Valley could witness the Firefall, in which a stream of glowing embers was pushed off the soaring heights of Glacier Point into the valley below. This fiery cascade of thousands of feet would be seen by huge groups of onlookers, who would gather in the meadows below to watch the glowing spectacle of light. During the event down at Camp Curry, the audience would gather in front of a piano and sing "Indian Love Call," with the performers. A caller on stage would shout up to Glacier Point, some thirty-two hundred feet above the camp, “Hello Glacier Point!” and from Glacier Point the fire-builder would call back, “Hello Camp Curry!” and the caller would respond with “Let the fire fall!” The fire builder far above would then tumble the embers over the point, creating the Firefall.

The park service discontinued this practice in 1968 for a number of reasons, the foremost being that it attracted so many spectators that the meadows were getting trampled and damaged, and also because the park service was leaning toward wilderness values and returning the park to a more natural state.

But while the Firefall may no longer be seen, a natural firefall occurs every late winter and spring near El Capitan. From the immense heights of this 3000-foot granite monolith falls the wispy, magical Horse Tail Falls. At sunset at certain times during the spring melt off, this ethereal waterfall catches the fiery rays of the setting sun and glows an enrapturing orange and red.
I hiked beneath the falls to see them at sunset, and while they did indeed glow with the silver light of the sun, clouds swept in before sunset, obscuring the alpen glow that causes the falls to glow with fiery colors. Next time. Next time.

Poopenauts?

2009-03-25T20:58:00.001-07:00

While hiking in Hetch Hetchy Valley, I came across the traihead for Poopenaut Valley. I've heard of Jason and the Argonauts and their search for the Golden Fleece. But I've not heard of the Poopenauts, and their proximity to the drinking water of San Francisco makes me leery.

A Visit To Hetch Hetchy

2009-03-24T14:05:00.000-07:00

Hetch Hetchy has been called the sister valley to Yosemite, and it's no wonder why. Though I've been to Yosemite National Park many times, I've never visited this valley located on the north side of the park. With its tremendous granite edifices, domes and roaring waterfalls, it is indeed a sister to the magnificent Yosemite Valley.
After the earthquake of 1906, water supplies in San Francisco were pushed to the limit. A solution was proposed to dam Hetch Hetchy for a reservoir. The dam had many opponents, including John Muir.

The battle to save Hetch Hetchy was lost, and the valley dammed in 1923. Not only does it now provide drinking water for San Francisco, but it also provides renewable energy in the form of hydro-electric power.

I hiked along the edge of the reservoir to Tueeulala Falls. The sun sparkled in the cascade of water.
I sat out on a boulder among blooming manzanita bushes, and an Anna's hummingbird came by, its scarlet head and green iridescent body gleaming in the sun.
Plant border bugs, with their black bodies and striking orange lines, climbed all over the ground, hunting for leaf matter to eat.

Yosemite National Park In Snow

2009-03-23T20:32:00.001-07:00

I'm currently visiting the magnificent Yosemite National Park to snowshoe, hike, write and watch wildlife. The day of my arrival had deep blue skies with a few clouds hanging high over the stunning valley.

Water from spring run-off made Bridalveil Falls roar down from its hanging valley.
El Capitan, the tallest free-standing cliff in the world, towered above the valley, clouds hanging over its top.
Yosemite Falls thundered from down into the valley, casting off clouds of mist in its wake.
It was gorgeous.

Voracious Hits The Stands Today!

2009-02-24T00:11:00.000-08:00

Today is a very exciting day for me -- my novel Voracious, set in the wilds of Glacier National Park, hits the stands! It's being published by the Jove imprint of Penguin Group. I recently got my first author's copy of it, and it looks gorgeous! Needless to say, I am doing the dance of joy here in lovely, rainy San Francisco!

Here's a synopsis of the plot:

Madeline Keye's gift -- to touch someone or something and see flashes of the past -- has helped her track missing people. It has also set her apart from her family and most of the people in her hometown.

So Madeline, already alone, turns to the wilderness for sanctuary. In the backcountry of Glacier National Park, she was always found peace and solace, away from all human contact. Until the day she is caught in a flash flood and almost dies. But she is rescued by a handsome stranger, and should feel safe once again.

Yet she doesn't. She can't shake the feeling of being watched, of being hunted. Something is out there in the shadows. Something hungry. Something...not human.

And it wants Madeline.

Click here to see the publisher's page for it.

Click here to see a list of places carrying it. It's available in retail and online bookstores, such as Amazon, Borders, Barnes and Noble, etc. I hope you'll check it out!